Issue(s): Iron Man #202
Cover Date: Jan 86
Title: "The savage goes west!"
Credits:
Danny Fingeroth - Writer
Paul Ryan - Penciler
Ian Akin & Brian Garvey - Inker
Mark Gruenwald - Editor

Review/plot:
Danny Fingeroth was the editor during the later part of the Ka-Zar the Savage series, and here he's writing a fill-in story following up on Ka-Zar and friends after the destruction of their homeland in Avengers. One great thing about Bruce Jones' Savage run was the realistic disagreements between Ka-Zar and Shanna. But the idea was that it was developing into a relationship as the characters got to know each other and Ka-Zar matured. Unfortunately that never quite reached conclusion during Jones' run and so the characters seem to be stuck in a perpetual state of disagreement and then making up (we even saw this during Stern's Avengers issues although it was handled well). That continues here...

...although to be fair the situation is compounded by the fact that Ka-Zar and Shanna are suffering from survivor's guilt after the destruction of everyone they knew in the Savage Land.

All this is the impetus for Ka-Zar to get in a car and drive out west to visit the West Coast Avengers' compound (after an obligatory bar fight on the way). And that gets him mixed up in an attack by the Fixer, who is interested in Iron Man's new armor. Only Ka-Zar and Iron Man are around to fight the Fixer, who manages to do pretty well.

I'm including this scene...

...because i know that if there was a scene of a female super-hero being forced to strip i'd be expressing outrage about it, so it's only fair to show it happening to Tony Stark (who, excluding characters like Ka-Zar and the Sub-Mariner, is the male Marvel character most likely to be found standing around in his underwear).

Anyway, the good guys do manage to defeat and capture the Fixer, which gives Ka-Zar the confidence to move forward with life in the civilized world (even though it's his savagery that lets him defeat him)...

...and head back east to make up with Shanna. It also makes Iron Man feel a little inadequate to know that despite all his technology he had to be rescued by a guy with no powers.

Some stiff early pencils by Paul Ryan (surprisingly not helped by the inking dream team of Ian Akin & Brian Garvey) and some clunky dialogue, but to be fair to all involved this was a fill-in.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: As a fill-in, this issue is context free, but we'll see next issue that Denny O'Neil's script ignores the existence of this issue in a way that would almost make me place this after Iron Man #203-204, except that we've also got a number of West Coast Avengers appearances between Iron Man #201-203 so including this or not as well doesn't really make a difference.

References:

• Watching Tony test his new armor at the beginning of this issue, James Rhodes thinks to himself that he still has the red & gold armor that he wore from Iron Man #170 to Iron Man #199, but "I don't know if there's much point in ever using it again. I mean, the new armor kinda makes it obsolete."
  
• Ka-Zar, Shanna, and Zabu have been staying at the Avengers Mansion since the Savage Land was destroyed in Avengers #256-257.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

One argument for placing this issue after issues 203-204 is that Rhodey's arm isn't in a sling this issue but it's in a sling in issues 203-204. (Of course, that can be explained away.

I've always wondered why Tony goes commando under his armour.

Despite losing this is one of the Fixer's better showings.

" it's only fair to show it happening to Tony Stark (who, excluding characters like Ka-Zar and the Sub-Mariner, is the male Marvel character most likely to be found standing around in his underwear)"

I keep telling you, Wolverine is always the male character most likely to end up undressed. Although he usually ends up completely naked.

Listen, Tony Stark was sitting around in nothing but a pair of metal briefs, sexily pulling his pre-magnetized metal tights up his thigh, before that upstart Wolverine even existed, ok?

Oh, I absolutely agree. I imagine someone out there must have a chart of naked / undressed heroes, and I wonder at what point Wolverine went flying by Tony Stark. More understandable if Wolverine actually were drawn to look like Hugh Jackman, but as the short, runty, hairy guy, it's amusing to think of how many times over the years he's been naked.